The voracious crush of bodies. Like a mad rush by starving zombies . A numbing mindlessness in their gaze, as they charge towards the light. With stoic stares and silent closed mouth shrieks. They make a incongruous dash to rip you to shreds, or merely to board this 5 O’Clock train.

It is hard to tell – they all look the same.

As I stare into the gaping maw as the door glides open, I am blinded by a light: A safe haven. Suddenly I can feel the frenzy building at my back. I hesitate to head towards the salvation it offers. I can feel the urge of the masses ready to charge in a mad cavalcade.

Eventually I move forward only to end up in a small tight space; rubbing elbows with patrons with whom your eyes will never meet. I am overwhelmed by the Musk of eight-hour perspiration, cheap perfume, even cheaper cologne and halitosis mixed with the sickly sweet scent of various shades of Edu De Pepé Le Pew.

In short, it was a journey of olfactory molestation, too horrific to portray. Or, at least, that is what my sinuses informed me.

When egress is finally achieved from my personal Zombie Apocalypse – I felt like Brave heart.
Bellowing a deep and soulful: FREEDOOOMM!!

Like this:

Death is always distant. We feel empathy for those that pass. But it never really touches us.

Death is a distant stranger that we grudgingly respect.

I’ve watched The Fast and The Furious since its inception in 2001. I’ve watched every move since – with Tokyo Drift being the black sheep in the family.

I was Fourteen years of age in 2001. It has been 14 years since the first film. A long time in any language.

Adrenaline inducing action and pyrotechnics, all elements of a compelling visual thrill.
All these elements are ancillary – secondary – to why I enjoy The Fast and Furious franchise.

The idea of family, loyalty, companionship and camaraderie are the real soul of these films.
The chemistry between the cast has always been the highlight.

Hidden between moments of intense action and violence there are moments of reprieve. It is in these moments… that the film truly shines, because it is here that the familial love they share shines the brightest

When death occurs in the family, it is never glossed over. It has always been given the required gravitas.

When you’ve been a fan of an art for 14 years. When you’ve seen the Artists’ growth and evolution, the lives of the characters they portray. They begin to occupy a space in your consciousness; and by virtue: gains sentience. They come to life.

As those characters are given life, you being to realise, the artists that portray them come alive as well.

When those artists have passed, their passing brings forth more than empathy. When the artist dies, his death is two-fold, because the character goes with him.

Though you may not have known them, their essence has been distilled – immortalised – in their art. An art I have consumed over the span of fourteen years.

It is through the appreciation for the art and the artists that I write this.

I can still recall my first time going to see this Film :

As I ascended the short flight of stair to the theatres box office.

I passed a set of Cars, looking like NASCAR’s. I still remember the rumble of their engines.

I recall the smell of the fumes from their exhaust and the minor irritation the fumes caused to my eyes.

But, most of all, I recall the rush of adrenaline just before I collected my ticket – with friends – to see the First: The Fast and The Furious